New parents at risk of ‘baby quake’

The phenomenon is said to shake up a couple’s relationship, which often makes them avoid intimacy, and which can ultimately drive them apart, experts have warned.

A study found that almost two thirds of new parents have a concern about their relationship which did not exist before.

Parents are often so concerned about their new roles, be it staying at home or being the main breadwinner, that they neglect each other and stop regarding themselves as romantic partners.

Some 40 per cent of new mothers who expressed worries said they feared they were no longer sexually attractive to their partners, according to relationship charity OnePlusOne, which carried out the study.

More than a quarter of new fathers were worried their partner had stopped wanting to have sex, while just over a quarter of couples longed for some time alone instead of constantly worrying about their baby, researchers found.

Charity director Penny Mansfield said: “Becoming a parent can put a relationship under extreme pressure as each partner tries to adjust to their new role.

“For some, it can be almost like a mini-earthquake. Often one becomes a stay-at-home parent and this can be very isolating.

“If they feel the partner out at work does not appreciate them, it can lead to arguments.

“Time alone is vital because it’s very easy to slip into seeing each other as parents rather than as romantic partners, leading to issues around sex and intimacy.”

The study of more than 1,400 mothers and fathers also showed that nearly a quarter have split up from the partner with whom they had their first child, the Daily Mail reported.